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Disable User Account Control (UAC) in Windows. User Account Control (UAC) Guide

The user interface of the User Account Control (UAC) settings in Windows 7 has been significantly improved and changed, as a result, using UAC has become less annoying and more convenient. Windows 7 introduced a slider in UAC settings that allows users to configure and select what level of notification (and therefore tamper and malware protection) they want to use. With the advent of fine-tuning UAC, the wording “disable” UAC has now disappeared. So how can you still disable UAC? Or at least how you can turn off notifications and pop-ups so they're less annoying.

In Windows 7, there are several ways to disable User Account Control, let's look at all of them in more detail:

Method 1: About turn offUAC(UserAccountControl) in the control panel

1. In Windows 7, there are several ways to open the UAC settings page:

    • Go to Start menu -> Control Panel -> User Accounts and Family Safety -> User Account.
    • Go to Start menu -> Control Panel -> System and Security -> Action Center.
    • Right-click on the flag in the notification area (system tray), and then select Open Action Center.
    • Dial " MsConfig" in the search bar to launch the system setup module, then go to the Tools tab, find the Change UAC Settings item, select it and click the "Launch" button.

3. Lower the slider to the lowest value labeled Never notify me.

4. Click OK to save.

5. Reboot your computer to completely disable user access control.

Method 2: ShutdownUACusing Registry Editor

1. Launch the registry editor (Regedit).

2. Go to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System

3. Find the following REG_DWORD type parameter:

4. Set the EnableLUA value to 0.

5. Exit Registry Editor and restart your computer to permanently disable UAC.

Method 3:disable UACgroups using group policy

In versions of Windows 7 Ultimate, Business, and Enterprise that can be included in an Active Directory domain, it is possible to use domain-based Group Policy to disable UAC control on multiple computers on the network at the same time.

1. Type gpedit.msc in the search bar to launch the Local Group Policy Editor (or gpmc.msc to launch the Group Policy Management Console in an AD domain).

2. Go to the next branch of the Group Policy tree:

Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Local Policies -> Security Options

In GPMC, first select the Group Policy you want to edit.

3. On the right side of the window, find the following policy:

User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators in Admin Approval Mode

Set this policy to " Elevatewithoutprompt"(without request).

4. Find the following policy on the right side of the editor window:

User Account Control: Detect application installations and prompt for elevation

Set its value to Disabled.

5. Find another policy on the right side of the screen:

User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin Approval ModeAccount Control

Set this option to Disabled.

6. Find the following policy:

User Account Control: Only elevate UIAccess applications that are installed in secure locations

Set its value Disabled.

7. Restart your computer when you have edited all the specified settings

Method 4:Using the Command Line for UserAccountControl

Using the ability to disable UAC control using the command line can be useful in various scripting scenarios, such as .bat and .cmd files. This approach can be useful for professional administrators and technical specialists. In fact, the above commands do nothing more than edit the registry setting specified in method 2.

1. Open a command prompt with administrator rights.

2. To disable UAC, run the following commands:

%windir%\System32\cmd.exe /k %windir%\System32\reg.exe ADD HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v EnableLUA /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Optionally, you can disable all pop-up warnings and notifications:

%windir%\System32\cmd.exe /k %windir%\System32\reg.exe ADD HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v ConsentPromptBehaviorAdmin /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Tip: To enable UAC again, use the command:

%windir%\System32\cmd.exe /k %windir%\System32\reg.exe ADD HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v EnableLUA /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

To return pop-up notifications, type:

%windir%\System32\cmd.exe /k %windir%\System32\reg.exe ADD HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v ConsentPromptBehaviorAdmin /t REG_DWORD /d 2 /f

Please note that if you have disabled UAC in Windows 7, your desktop gadgets may stop working. If you are interested, read the following article.

In modern versions of Windows, there are many tools that are designed to provide security. One of them is User Account Control, which means “Account Control”. It displays a warning window if any program or process tries to make unauthorized changes to the system. And you must either allow the utility to run, or cancel it. Understand what Windows 7 UAC is for, how to disable it, how to activate it, and how to configure it.


Many users are annoyed by such notifications. After all, you have to confirm every time that you agree to install a new application. But account control serves to protect against malware: viruses, spyware, advertisers. It will not replace an antivirus, firewall or firewall. But without this feature, Windows will be vulnerable.

If you disable UAC, your computer will be at risk. You should not deactivate Account Control for no reason. Otherwise, absolutely any program will be able to change system settings, install its own distributions and run them. And all this without the user’s knowledge.

User Account Control can be configured so that it is not so “annoying”, and the alert does not pop up when launching any program. But it is recommended to keep this feature enabled to protect your PC.

Control Panel

Disabling UAC Windows 7 looks like this:

  1. Start - Control Panel.
  2. "Changing account settings."
  3. A window will open with descriptions and a slider. Move it to set the desired settings. On the right side there will be an explanation of the selected option.
  4. There are four marks there. The top “Always notify” means that a warning dialog box will pop up when you launch absolutely any program.
  5. If you need to completely disable UAC, move the “carriage” to the bottom “Never notify” bar. But then the risk of infection by virus programs will increase, and Windows will be at risk.
  6. It's better to leave the slider somewhere in the middle. So that User Account Control notifies you only when an application tries to change something in the system. If you place the rectangle in the third position, when the message appears, the picture on the monitor will darken. If you set it to the second division, the display will not darken.

Entering this menu and disabling UAC can be done faster.

  1. Click Start.
  2. Click on your account image above.

There is no such slider in Windows Vista. Accordingly, detailed configuration of the function is impossible. Only enabling and disabling the mode is available.

Group policies

Another method of interacting with Account Control is the Group Policy Editor. This method is not suitable for all versions of the operating system. Only for Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise Windows.

To disable UAC:

  1. Go to “Start - Run” or press Win+R.
  2. Write “secpol.msc” without quotes in the input field and click on “OK”.
  3. Expand the “Local Policies - Security Settings” hierarchy.
  4. In the list on the right, find the “User Account Control” items. There are several of them.
  5. You want the one that ends with "All administrators are in approval mode." Double click on it.
  6. On the Security Options tab, place a checkbox next to Disable.
  7. Click Apply, close the editor and restart your computer.

You can enable Account Control again in the same menu.

Registry Editor

Before changing anything in the registry, you need to make a backup copy of it. To quickly restore it in case of problems.

  1. Go to “Start - Run” or press Win+R.
  2. Type "regedit" and click OK.
  3. In the window that appears, open “File - Export”.
  4. Specify the path to the folder where you want to save the backup.

Here's how to disable UAC in Windows 7:

  1. In the Registry Editor, open "Edit - Find".
  2. Run a search for "EnableLUA".
  3. In the results, select the line with the same name. Double click on it.
  4. In the “Value” field, write the number “0” (zero) to stop the service.
  5. To enable UAC again, change the "0" to a "1" (one).
  6. Click "OK" and restart your PC.

Command line

Disabling Account Control using the commands:

  1. Start - Programs - Accessories.
  2. Right-click on “Command Prompt”.
  3. Select "As Administrator". A window will open with a black background and white font.
  4. Copy the command “%windir%\System32\cmd.exe /k %windir%\System32\reg.exe ADD HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v EnableLUA /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f into it " and press
  5. It changes registry settings. Through it you can reactivate the mode.

Account Control is a necessary security measure. Disable it only as a last resort.

Surely, many users have encountered a situation where, when they try to run the installation file of some software or when opening the executable component of already installed applications, a request from the User Account Control service appears on the screen for permission to make changes that will be made on this computer. This happens because the operating system itself has a special component, called User Account Control (UAC) in English, which is active and is one of the components of the entire security system of the latest versions of Windows. What kind of service this is, how to configure it, and how advisable it is to keep it turned on will be explained below.

Account Control on Windows?

First of all, let's look at what this security element is and how it works, and only then will we decide whether to disable it or not. There is no doubt that this is really one of the elements of protection of the system itself.

True, unlike other similar components like SmartScreen, it does not block the execution of certain actions or launching programs that can change the system configuration or installed parameters, but simply issues a request for the user’s consent to grant the program rights to perform a particular operation, that is, it disclaims responsibility for user actions in case of consent. In fact, despite the loud name (User Account Control is precisely a service for monitoring actions performed when using a registered account or an administrator/super-administrator account), the entire purpose of this component comes down to reminding the user that granting permissions to third-party software making changes may adversely affect the operation of the operating system.

Why are restrictions on actions in the system needed?

As for the need to have such a “notifier” on hand, many believe that this service is as useful as it is completely unnecessary. The only reasonable explanation for the presence of this protection component in Windows is a constant reminder to the user of the possible critical consequences of his rash actions. But it seems so only at first glance.

In fact, especially if we take into account the fact that many computer viruses are capable of intercepting the use of user accounts registered in the system and acting allegedly on their behalf, the User Account Control tool is simply necessary to prevent dubious applets from running on the computer when the user I didn’t run the program myself. Thus, it is easy to conclude that it is not worth completely disabling the protection provided by this component (in this case, notifications for the same virus applets running in the background will not be issued when they are triggered spontaneously).

Preferred Settings

As for the User Account Control Settings themselves, there are only four options for issuing notifications:

  • to run any program (highest security);
  • notification with screen dimming when the user launches applications;
  • notification without screen dimming;
  • complete shutdown (no notifications at all).

The second and third options for setting parameters are absolutely equivalent in terms of security, but differ only in the presence of dimming on the monitor. True, if the computer configuration is weak enough, and the blackout entails a long wait (or is simply annoying), you can leave the third option. But it is recommended to set this level only in cases where you completely trust the software you are running and are firmly confident that there are no viruses or spyware on your computer.

How to disable User Account Control in the simplest way?

Now a few words directly about setting the necessary parameters. You can access them through the “Control Panel” in the user accounts section by selecting the item Change Controls.

In the settings window on the left, a special fader (slider) will be shown, which sets the required level of protection. As is already clear, setting it to the lowest position disables the issuance of notifications by the User Account Control service.

Note: in recent systems where the user logo is displayed in the start menu, you can go to change control settings through it. You can gain access even faster by entering the abbreviation UAC in the search field. The “Control Panel” in systems version 8 and higher is best accessed through the “Run” console by entering the control command.

Setting up local policies

This was the simplest of the preferred actions used to configure or disable the User Account Control service. However, you can use some other system tools. In particular, the necessary parameters can be set quite simply in local policies (secpol.msc).

Here you need to go to the section of the same name, call up the security subsection in it and find the control point in which it is indicated that all administrators work in approval mode. Double-click to edit the parameter and on the security tab, which opens by default, set the value to disabled. Upon completion of the actions and after saving the installed options, exit the editor and completely restart the computer.

Editing Registry Entries

Similar steps for configuring the control service parameters can be performed in the system registry (regedit). Only in this case, in order not to go through branches and subsections for a long time, it is better to immediately use the search and enter the value “EnableLUA” (without quotes) in the appropriate field.

Again, double-click to change the parameter and to disable the service, first set it to zero, save the changes, and after that, as in the previous example, you will need to perform a full system restart.

Note: you can also deactivate control through the command line, but the command entered is too large and complex for the average user to understand and, by and large, simply duplicates actions in the registry regarding local policies, the key value of which makes the necessary changes. Enabling the service in all cases is done by applying the reverse steps.

UAC (User Account Control) is a service that notifies the user of actions that require Administrator rights. If you are confident in all the software you install on your PC, you can deactivate it. You will learn how to disable UAC in Windows 10 or enable it on a PC in this article.

What is UAC?

UAC protects the Windows 10 user from installing and running software that can harm the OS, as well as from potentially dangerous actions. This service is activated automatically, so it always requires a request to perform any operations that may affect the performance of the OS.

Reasons for shutdown

We do not recommend disabling User Account Control. The only situation in which a user can take such a step is when the service interferes with fast work when using a large number of files and programs at the same time.

In other cases, you should not deactivate the service, because it additionally protects the PC.

How to disable?

There are several ways to disable UAC. For the new settings to take effect, restart your computer.

Control Panel

  1. RMB on the Start menu → → install View: small icons → User accounts.
  2. Click “Change User Account Control Settings” → a window will open in which you can configure notifications about changes in computer settings by setting the slider to one of four suggested positions:
    • Always notify;
    • Notify when applications try to change settings (default values);
    • Notify without dimming the screen;
    • Never notify.

Healthy! Alternative way to open account management options: Press Win+R and enter:
UserAccountControlSettings

Command line


This command makes the appropriate changes to the Windows Registry Editor.

Registry Editor


To set a specific UAC value, use the table to select the appropriate DWORD parameters.

ConsentPromptBehaviorAdminEnableLUAPromptOnSecureDesktop
Never notify 0 1 0
Notify without dimming the screen 5 1 0
Notify when applications try to change settings 5 1 1
Always notify 2 1 1

How to turn it on?

Enabling User Account Control is done in the same way as disabling it. You just need to select any value other than “Disable UAC”.

Windows has many protections against unwanted changes to computer settings, the registry, and other parameters that can dramatically affect the performance of the operating system. One such security feature is User Account Control (UAC). As is often the case with such system functions, for all their usefulness, they can become annoying, constantly reminding them of themselves, which can interfere with the user’s work with the computer. In this article, we will look at how to disable User Account Control in Windows 10 and earlier versions of the operating system.

What is User Account Control (UAC) in Windows

User Account Control is a security utility built into the Windows operating system. It first appeared in Windows Vista, and remains in modern variations of the system, right up to Windows 10. Disabling the User Account Control utility will seriously reduce the level of computer protection, so you need to perform these actions consciously.

This utility manifests itself as a window that appears when installing a program or game on a computer, as well as when making fundamental changes to the computer settings. The user is informed that when installing this file, the publisher may make irreversible changes to the operation of the computer, which is unsafe. Depending on the UAC settings, the utility can work against all applications or, for example, only against suspicious programs from unverified publishers.

Proper use of the Windows User Account Control feature allows you to protect your computer from the penetration of virus applications, spyware, Trojans, malware and adware programs, and so on.

How to set up User Account Control in Windows 10

It is recommended to disable User Account Control in Windows only in extreme cases; it is much better to configure this option so that it reminds you of its presence only when there is a real threat of infection. By default, in Windows the utility is set to a high level of protection, but this is easy to fix.

To set up User Account Control in Windows 10, right-click on the Start menu and select “Control Panel” in the pop-up window. At the top of the window, set the view mode to “Icons” and go to “User Accounts”.

A window will open where you need to select “Change User Account Control Settings.”

After this, a window will open where the User Account Control utility is configured. In total, the security system can operate in 4 modes:


Note: By reducing User Account Control to the minimum level, you run the risk of third-party applications introducing irreversible effects to Windows settings. This is also fraught with data loss.

How to disable User Account Control in Windows 10 through the registry

All User Account Control settings can be configured through the registry, if for some reason the configuration option through the “Control Panel” described above is not suitable. To configure through the registry, you need to launch the registry by pressing the Windows + R combination on the keyboard and entering the regedit command. Next in the registry follow the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Policies\ System

On the right side of the Registry window there will be many options. The following 3 parameters are responsible for the operation of the User Account Control function: PromptOnSecureDesktop, EnableLUA, ConsentPromptBehaviorAdmin. Accordingly, the final operation of the utility will depend on their settings. To configure a parameter, you need to double-click on it with the left mouse button and enter the appropriate values.

Here are the basic values ​​for different levels of User Account Control security:

  • Maximum – 1, 1, 2;
  • High – 1, 1, 5;
  • Average – 0.1, 5;
  • Low – 0, 1, 0.

Important: Deleting these registry settings is prohibited. If they are removed, the system may not function correctly.